I-X Center

$ 10 parking fee at the gate for many events here! They must be kidding! These are NYC prices in Cleveland! What a total RIPOFF! I can see charging this for a carload of people, but for one visitor?! Should be less for one person! Forget your motorcycle show… i’m not going this year!

It’s a love hate relationship with this place. One observation is that the events themselves keep getting smaller and smaller. So I hate that you are getting less and less for the price of admission (which is on the high side). I love the fact that they are close by and it does brings in some interesting events, but I hate the fact that they rip you off every chance they get. Starting when you enter the gate with $ 10.00 just to park. From the coat check to the price of food, beer and water you better bring a full wallet when you go. But I guess we should just bite the bullet because of the service they provide. I won’t stop going (for now) but I will do my eating and drinking elsewhere.

«What a giant ugly piece of crap!» is what the original builders of the tank plant that would become the I-​X said as they stared at the barren field before them. So they decided to beautify that wasteland with a massive edifice dedicated to destroying the third reich. After all that war business was over, they needed to do something with this place.
Amusement park? Why not. Auto shows? Sure. Sometimes unscrupulous «deep discount» shows where foreign dudes sell stuff that fell off of a truck? Rarely, but it’s happened.
We used to come to the auto show for art school field trips. Emphasis on the trip. One time a classmate took acid and freaked out there. We all had to wait on the bus to go home as he was sedated. Back then the auto show was really cool. I’m not that into cars as an adult, but i am into my house. The home and garden shows are a bit of a bore. Vendors and such. But the fantasy gardens they set up are fun to imagine yourself in back at your measly abode. I’ve never attended the indoor amusement park, and God willing, i never will.
Overall, it is useful. More convenient for west siders than east siders versus a downtown convention center. The food is gross and overpriced. The restrooms are usually up to snuff. And the traffic flow in and out from the freeway is usually not too bad.
OH wait! I forgot my favorite thing to visit here. The dog show! It is heaven for a canine lover. They have skills exhibitions, vendors, and lots of cute pooches getting all dolled up. The I-​X gets Best in Show.

The IX Center is a massive exhibition center located at the end of the main runways at Hopkins Airport. According to their website, they have over a million square feet of space! Just to give you an idea of how big it was, I attended the Fabulous Food Show here and it only took up a small section of the center. If they had gone a little bit bigger, it would’ve been perfect, and it would’ve been just shy of a ¹⁄₃ of the center! It is visitor friendly though, as all of the events I’ve been to here have been layed out well. There are permanent food vendors that sell basic fare, such as pizza and burgers. Overall, the IX Center is a great place for exhibition events that’s visitor friendly and offers tons of space. Note: I’m only a visitor.